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OEMs Looking to Ubuntu for Netbook Market
Anon writes "Mark Shuttleworth provides much more detail today about development of the Ubuntu netbook platform, and says OEMs are calling Canonical when they want to start building netbooks. Channelweb notes: 'It's actually a big deal. For example, Dell CEO Michael Dell has been carrying around an early version of a Dell mini-notebook, and referring to it as the device for the next billion Internet users [...] Asus has become an industry rock star by using GNU Linux to power its Eee PC. HP's niche Mini note runs SLED 10 Linux. The iPhone, of course, doesn't run Microsoft software. Is anyone paying attention in Redmond?'"
A lot of the up and coming subnotes will have options for Linux and Windows XP, such as the Aspire One, and the MSI Wind
Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
The EeePC doesn't run Gnome by default, and it does run a very minimalist interface. Not minimalist enough for my tastes, but that should be mitigated when the 9" ones come out.
..but if you read Linux Format, the cover story this month is the Eee PC and the Eee 900. From (Linux Format's TFA: "A current poll of Eee users shows that only 29 percent are running MS Windows."
Grandpa: My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, a communist, but he is not a porn star.
A lot of people are buying the linux version for the larger SSD and installing Windows xp themselves.
I've tried the default Xandros linux and it didn't cut it for me. For browsing the net and doing simple things like reading a document it is fine. It will even read your usb thumb drives and other things without issues. But it is hard to customize and does not like you going about installing your own software. I expect that Ubuntu for netbooks will be much easier to customize and will likely be a real replacement for the large laptop or desktop.
Ubuntu netbook remix or whatever it is called is going to address this by providing a new interface designed for small screens. Ars has a bunch of screenshots and more information. The solution isn't perfect but is in a step in the right direction.
This (good interface real estate usage) is one area that I have to give credit to Apple for doing very well. Apple interfaces are very clean and for the most part a good use of screen real estate (minimal window border, fewer menus and toolbars). Gnome tends to be a little on the fat side with buttons, menus, and toolbars but hopefully that will start changing with this new market. I do wish that application developers would stop using the default "file" menus as a crutch to stuff things into or stuffing toolbars with buttons all over the place (gimp, open office, old versions of ms office, many IDEs). On small screens that becomes especially annoying since there is no more room to grow the windows.
Christ, could anyone be more self-important than Richard Stallman? There are fifty-two justifications in that FAQ about the fucking name! If you feel that insecure about something, maybe it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
I agree with the GP, stop the mind control already.
It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
However, it's likely that once the buyers bring the unit home, a bootleg version of Windows gets loaded on it. Linux is preloaded just to show that the unit is working.
On the other hand, netbooks aren't really living up to the name. They're coming in with more memory and more disk space -- case in point is the Deep Blue H1 (not sure what the designation is in other countries): 1GB memory and 40GB hard disk, and all of $300.
Linux was the intial factory option on the EEE which was one of the first cheap subnotebooks.
But now on the EEE series windows is availible from the factory and runs very nicely. I would imagine once people realise that for a little more (or even a little less in some cases) they can get the familiar XP and use thier familiar appliacations while also getting the micro form factor and of course avoiding vista the EEEPC 900 with XP will look like a very attractive option.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
Having used an EEE 900 series with windows (it is my brothers) the experiance felt just fine to me. I could run normal windows applications including some older games just fine and the screen size wasn't a problem for most applications (the only time I had to go into top/bottom scroll mode was for a settings dialog in itunes).
To a non techie if it doesn't run windows it's not a PC.
ASUS's default windows install needed a bit of cleaning but that is nearly always the case with machines from the big OEMs.
I think asus put linux on for two reasons, firstly to make the headline price of the initial model even lower. Secondly to make it clear to MS that they had another option for the machine (load linux from the factory and let people put warez XP on themselves) if MS refused to keep selling them XP.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
How can a scripting language suck cum from an anus? It doesn't have a mouth, lips or lungs.
Must be something typical of NZ. In the US, Linux versions are sold out (check Amazon). while there is plenty available with XP. In addition (reading reviews from real users), Linux version works out of the box, while there is nothing useful in the default installation of XP. It'd be interesting to know what are such things you believe being "wrong".
You'd be surprised at how far down XP can be scaled. 82mb install with microXP, and it runs all of my graphics, modelling and sound application just as out of the box XP would.
Just because Microsoft won't offer it as an option, doesn't mean it can't be done.
Same goes for Vista, you can chop it up and have a very useable system which takes up a fraction of the space and resources. I've gotten it trimmed down to 600mb, but that's because I wanted to play with AD, IIS7 and SUA, it could stand to get much, much, smaller.
The ACCC has only so many eyes. If you listen to House question time, you'll see that its hands are full with watching petrol, grocery and child care prices (which the public care much more than say, ASUS Eee PC).
Nevertheless, the ACCC says: "think a business may be breaking the consumer protection and fair trading laws, you should contact our Infocentre on 1300 302 502 or lodge an electronic complaint or inquiry form
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/54217#h2_38
stupid lame filter.
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